I’ve been through exactly this situation when my university refused to negotitate with unionized faculty and drove the faculty to go on strike. The students tried to hold the board accountable for the absolute shitstorm they unleashed by 10+ years of gross mismanagement leading to this strike, but they had them get off the picket line and instead present their demands and concerns at a board meeting- where the board then ignored everything students said, told them “this isn’t your place to be speaking”, kicked them out, and went on for the last 4 additional years doing whatever the fuck they want.
Trust me, this tells other colleges nothing more than “let them talk so they shut up and get off the news”. That’s all any of them want. Board of Trustees are there to enrich themselves and do not exist to serve students.